Method of electrically fabricating a hair piece



March 19, 1963 L cRAMER 3,081,780

METHOD OF ELECTRICALLY FABRICATING A HAIR PIECE Filed Nov. 17, 1961 'CVG' e' INVENToR.

EO/V420 L. @E4/W56,

3 081,780 ME'HGD Gli ELECRICALLY FABRICATENG A HAHR PIECE Leonard L Cramer, 236 Granby St., Norfolk, Va. Filed Nov, 1'7, 196i, Ser. No. 153,655 6 Claims. (Cl. 132-5) This invention relates to the art of wig making, and more particularly to an improved method of fabricating a `hair piece utilizing the electrostatic properties of hair.

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved method of fabricating a hair piece, the method involving a relatively simple procedure which requires comparatively simple apparatus, which can be performed in a relatively short time, and which greatly reduces the amount of labor and precision required in fabricating a hair piece.

A further object of the -invention is to provide an improved method of fabricating a hair piece which does not involve costly and tedious hand weaving processes, which enables a hair piece of required size and shape to be quickly and eliiciently produced, which provides a hair piece of satisfactory durability, and which considerably reduces the cost of fabricating a hair piece.

A still further object'of the invention is to provide an improved method of fabricating a hair piece, said method being easy to perform, requiring a relatively low level of skill, enabling a hair piece of required shape and size to be quickly, efficiently and accurately produced, and enabling a hair piece to be produced without requiring knots or protuberances and providing for the inclusion of synthetic bers as well as natural hair in the hair piece.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved method of fabricating a hair piece which utilizes the electrostatic properties of hair and similar fibers for properly positioning the libers for assembly, eliminating the need for weaving or tying the fibers in place, as has been heretofore required in this art. Y A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved method of fabricating a hair piece which utilizes electrostatic properties of hair land similar liber's in assembling a hair piece on a form of the desired outline and shape, the fibers being held in position by electrostatic action, the method avoiding the necessity of employing knots to secure the hairs in place and providing a resultant product in which the hair fibers are securely fastened and cannot loosen from the hair piece and become lost.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claims, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FlGURE l is a front elevational view, partly in vertical cross section, showing the manner in which a hank of hair is suspended from an electrostatically charged electrode above and in vertical alignment with a vertically adjustable supporting shield containing an adhesive coated film with which the spread lower ends of the hair strands eventually become engaged, in accordance with the method of the present invention.

FGURE 2 is a vertical cross sectional view taken through the supporting shield after the spread ends of the hairs have become engaged with the adhesive-coated film and the top portions of the hairs have been unfastened.

FIGURE 3 is an elevational view of the structure of FIGURE 2, showing the manner in which the upper portions of the hairs are trimmed olf.

FGURE 4 is an elevational view of the structure of FGURE 3, subsequent to the trimming of the upper portions of the hairs, and positioned adjacent to an opposing, convexly curved pre-blocked net or lm on which j assises Patented lidar. lg, ll

the sub-assembly obtained from FGURE 3 is to be secured.

FIGURE 5 is an elevational view of a iinished hair piece which may be derived from the product obtained from the procedure illustrated in FIGURE 4 after suitable further trimming and shaping of the hairs.

FIGURE 6 is a view illustrating the manner in which a number of tufts or Wefts of small areas of adhered hair or synthetic bers may be assembled adjacent to each other on a suitable supporting net or form,I

Referring to the drawings, ll designates an electrostatic electrode head which is suspended from a stationary support l2 in any suitable manner, for example, by means of an insulating depending supporting bracket 13. The spherical electrode ll is electrically connected by suitable insulated conductors to the output of a charging generator, not shown, which may be a conventional Van de Graaff electrostatic generator. Any other suitable electrostatic generator may be employed to provide the desired electrostatic charge on the spherical electrode il.

Secured to the electrode ll and depending therefrom is a metal hook 14 adapted to be engaged in the top portion of a hank of hair l5 in the manner illustrated in FIGURE l, the hank of hair .comprising Aa plurality of strands of hair bound together at their upper ends by a pair of spaced retaining bands lo and i7, which may comprise rubber bands or flexible plastic: rings. The upper ring 16 engages around the top portions of the hairs of the hank and the lower ring i7 may be adjusted in accordance with the amount of spread desired of the lower ends of the hairs when the hairs are electrified. Thus, with the fastening ring 17 disposed relatively close to the upper retaining ring lo, the lower ends of the hairs will be free to spread apart to a relatively large degree of divergence, whereas when the ring 17 is adjusted to a much lower position, namely to provide a large spacing between the rings i7 `and i6, the amount of spread of the depending lower ends of the hairs is relatively limited, for a given charging potential of the electrode ll.

As shown, in the step of the process illustrated in FIGURE l, the hook 14 is engaged through the hairs between the rings 16 and l', so that the hank of hair is suspended `from the hook with the lower ends of the hairs free.

The hank of hair l5 is cut so that originally the lower ends of the hairs are substantially liush with each other. As -Will ybe readily understood, when the electrostatic generator is energized to charge the electrode 11, the hairs assume like charges and tend to repel each other, causing their free ends to diverge. The degree of divergence depends upon the position of the adjustable binding ring 17, as above explained.

vDesignated at 18 is a supporting stand provided with a vertical tubular upstanding post 19 in which is telescopically received a vertical rod 2d 'which may be adjusted vertically and secured in adjusted position by means of a set screw 2l provided in the top end portion of the tubular post member i9. l Rigidly secured to the top end of the rod 20 is a horizontal rigid plastic supporting plate Z2 which may be of any suitable plastic material, for example, which may be made of Lucite.

Designated at 23 is a plastic bowl which may be of vany suitable material, such as Lucite, having a curvature 24 being coated with a flexible cement. The film 2,4 may comprise `a pre-blocked netting instead of a polyethylene film, the netting being suiciently fiexible to be reversed in curvature, as will be presently described.

The pre-formed netting or `film 24 is disposed in the rigid bowl 23 so as .to be supported thereby, and said bowl 23 is in turn disposed so that it is substantially in vertical alignment with the suspended hank of hair l5. After the parts have been arranged in the manner indicated in FIGURE l, the electrostatic generator is energized .to charge up the electrode 1l, whereby the hank of hair is electrified, causing the free lower ends thereof to Spread apart, for example, to a configuration repre-- sented by lthe dotted lines in FEGURE l. The rod 2@ is then elevated, by loosening the set screw 2l, and raising said rod, until the ends of the hairs come into contact with and penetrate the adhesive cement lprovided on the net or film 24. The electrostatic generator is then deenergized and the cement is allowed to dry. Drying may be accelerated by suitably heating the assembly, for example, by blowing warm air through the hairs.

The members 22, Z3 and 24 are non-conductive and are so shaped as to present a neutrally charged surface to the ends of the charged hairs. This prevents discharge and collapse of the charged hairs when contact is made with the adhesive-coated net or film 24.

Ring 17 may be suitably contoured to provide a desired outline or contour of the ends of the divergent tips corresponding to the outline or contour of the net `or film-2.4.

When the member 24 is a net, many of the tips of the charged hair-like fibers will penetrate into the meshes of the net and thus simulate weaving.

At the completion of the drying procedure, the binding rings Ait? and -17 may be removed, resulting in a product such as that which is illustrated in FIGURE 2,

comprising the fiexible net or film Z4 to which is adhered the upwardly converging strands of hair of the original hank 15, the assembly being supported in the rigid plastic bowl 23, as illustrated in FIGURE 2. The top end portions of the hairs may be trimmed off by the use of shears 26, as shown in FiGURE 3, and the Vassembly may be removed from the bowl 23, yielding the resultant product designated at 3) in FIGURE 4 wherein the film or net 24 has a downwardly facing convex surface.v

The exposed surface of :the net or film 24 yis then secured on -a net or form 31 corresponding in contour to the head -of the person for whom the wig is being made, the net or film Z4 being reversed in curvature so that it is downwardly concave, and so that the hairs of the original hank now extend radially outwardly and diverge upwardly. FIGURE 4 illustrates the step irnmediately preceding the reversal of the net or film 24, wherein the net or film 24 is downwardly convex and is placed in opposing relationship to the upwardly convex formed net 31. After the reversal of curvature of the net or film 24 said net or film is downwardly concave and can be easily nested onto the form 31. A suitable adhesive cement is provided on the downwardly facing surface of 'the net or film 24 to enable same to be fastened to the exposed surface of the formed net 31.

After the form 31 has been secured to the reversed net or film 24 with the hairs extending radially outwardly therefrom, and after the cement employed has thoroughly dried, the hairs may be for-med and shaped to provide the `ni-shed hair piece shown at 32 in FIG- URE 5.

It will be noted that when the ends of the hairs are adhesively secured to the net or film 24 by the procedure above described, said ends are substantially evenly distributed, so that in the resultant product 3f) shown in FIGURE 4 the hair ends are spread substantially uniformly on the upwardly facing surface of the net or film 24 and are firmly `secured thereto.

FIGURE 6 illustrates a variation of the above described procedure wherein a plurality of relatively small areas of adhered hair assemblies, shown at 4f?, may be fastened onto a suitably shaped formed net 4i, the tufts 40 being fabricated by the procedure above described and illustrated in FIGURES 1 to 4. The tufts or wefts 40 may comprise human hair or synthetic fibers, so that the tufts may be assembled alongside each other to form a blend. This reduces the cost of the finished product and enables the fabricator to control the percentage of human air to be employed in the finished wig. Furthermore, it enables the fabricator t-o select the locations of the various tufts or wefts on the form 41 so as to provide a desired resultant composite assembly.

As an alternative to the method above described and illustrated in FEGURES l to 4, the shaped net or form 4l may be reversed in curvature and may be employed directly in the rigid supporting bowl in piace of the film or net 24, the hairs being adhered directly to the form El. An auxiliary supporting net may be subsequently fastened to the underside of the form 3l after it has been returned to its original curvature, namely, has been reversed in curvature so that the hairs adhering thereto project ontwardly therefrom in outwardly divergent relationship to each other.

While certain specific embodiments of a method of fabricating a hair piece have been disclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understood that various modifications within the spirit of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended that no limitations be placed on the invention except as defined by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. In a method of fabricating a hair piece, the steps of forming a wig comprising binding a plurality of hairlike fibers at one end to form a hank of hair, suspending the hank at its bound end from a charged electrode to cause the depending free ends of the fibers to diverge downwardly, elevating a concave flexible support into contact with the diverging lower fiber ends, adhesively securing said fiber ends to said concave fiexible support, unbinding the fibers after they have become fastened to the fiexible support, reversing the flexible support so that the fibers extend divergently outwardly from a convex surface of the support, securing a net to the under surface of said exible support, and shaping the fibers to form a wig.

2. In a method of fabricating a hair piece, the steps of forming a wig comprising binding the upper end portions of the fibers to form a hank of hair, electrifying the fibers so that their lower ends diverge by electrostatic mutual repulsion, securing a flexible reversible concave support to the free ends of the fibers, with said free ends spaced substantially uniformly over the concave surface of the support, and unbinding the upper end portions of the fibers, reversing the curvature of the flexible support so that the fibers diverge from its top surface, and shaping the fibers to form a wig.

3. In a method of fabricating a hair piece, the steps of forming a wig comprising binding the upper end portions of the fibers, trimming the lower ends of the fibers so that they are substantially flush with each other to form a hank of hair, electrifying the fibers so that their lower ends diverge by electrostatic mutual repulsion, securing a flexible reversible concave support to the free ends of the fibers, with said free ends spaced substantially uniformly over the concave surface of the support, unbinding the upper end portions of the fibers, reversing the curvature of the flexible support so that the fibers diverge from its top surface, and shaping the fibers to form a wig.

4. In a method of fabricating a hair piece, the steps of forming a wig comprising binding the upper end portions of the fibers, trimming the lower ends of the fibers so that they are substantially flush with each other to form a hank of hair, eiectrifying the fibers so that their lower ends diverge by electrostatic mutual repulsion, securing a flexible reversible concave support to the free ends of the fibers, with said free ends spaced substantially uniformly over the concave surface of the support, unbinding the upper end portions of the fibers, trimming the upper ends of the bers so that they are substantially flush with each other, reversing the curvature of the flexible support so that the fibers diverge from its top surface, securing a net to the under surface of the support, and shaping the fibers to form a Wig.

5. in a method of fabricating a hair piece, the steps of binding a plurality of hair-like bers at one end to form a hank, electrifying the fibers lto cause the free ends of the bers to diverge, adjustably binding the fibers at a location spaced from said one end to adjust the degree of divergence of said free ends, adhesively securing a concave flexible support to the diverging fiber ends, unbinding the fibers after they have become fastened to the flexible support, and reversing the exible support so that the bers extend divergently outwardly from a convex surface of the support.

6. In a method of fabricating a hair piece, the steps of binding a plurality of hair-like fibers at one end to form a hank, electrically charging the fibers to cause their free end portions to repel each other and to diverge, adhesively securing a concave flexible support having a neutral charge to the diverging fiber ends, unbinding the fibers after they have become fastened to the exible support, and reversing the exible support so that the fibers extend divergently outwardly from a convex surface of the support.

No references cited. 

6. IN A METHOD OF FABRICATING A HAIR PIECE, THE STEPS OF BINDING A PLURALITY OF HAIR-LIKE FIBERS AT ONE END TO FORM A HANK, ELECTRICALLY CHARGING THE FIBERS TO CAUSE THEIR FREE END PORTIONS TO REPEL EACH OTHER AND TO DIVERGE, ADHESIVELY SECURING A CONCAVE FLEXIBLE SUPPORT HAVING A NEUTRAL CHARGE TO THE DIVERGING FIBER ENDS, UNBINDING THE FIBERS AFTER THEY HAVE BECOME FASTENED TO THE FLEXIBLE SUPPORT, AND REVERSING THE FLEXIBLE SUPPORT SO THAT THE FIBERS EXTEND DIVERGENTLY OUTWARDLY FROM A CONVEX SURFACE OF THE SUPPORT. 